Battery terminal connecter



Aug. 2, 1938. H. A. RECEN 2,125,521

' BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTER Filed May 25, 1937 -7, VIII/[$ will A INVENTOR 16 6727"? Zecen,

AIZTORNEY TENT UNITED STATES FFHQE BATTERY TERMINAL CONNECTER Henry A. Recen, Kokomo, 0010., assignor of onehalf to Charles W. Burnheimer, Breckenridge, Colo.

Application May 25, 1937, Serial No. 144,625

3 Claims. (01. 1'73259) This invention relates to improvements in batother means for effecting a connection with the tery connecters of the type described and claimed cable may be substituted for the one shown. in Patent No. 1,921,840, granted to me August 8, The body of the connecter is of the flattened 1933-. oblong shape shown in the drawing and has an 5 Practically all automotive vehicles are provided opening which has been designated by numeral 5 with storage batteries and these must be removed l3. from time to time for cleaning, charging and That portion of the opening which is posifor other purposes. tioned above the line alt-x Fig. 1 is the arc of It is well known that the ordinary connecters a circle and in the embodiment illustrated it is '10 are difficult to remove as the acid corrodes the a semi-circle. One wall of the opening has a clamping bolt and makes it practically imposstraight section l4 that connects with an insible to rotate it in the nut, with the result that wardly concave wall portion l5, whose surface the connecter has to be pried off from the batapproaches the center of the semi-circular end tery terminal and is frequently ruined. towards the right in Fig. 3. Positioned in the It is the object of this invention to produce opening !3 is a clamping member 8, the outer 15 a connecter that can be readily applied to a batend of which is curved on the same radius as tery terminal and which can as readily be rethe semi-circular end of the opening !3; this moved when necessary. curved end wall has been designated by numeral Another object is to produce a connecter of it. The inner end of the clamping member 8 has such construction that there will be a wiping a deep notch ll between the two flanges l8 and 20 contact between it and the battery terminal when S9. The bottom of notch ll is convex and enthe connecter is applied so that a good electrical gages the convex surface of wall 15 as shown in contact will be established. Fig. 3. It is evident that when the clamping A further object is to produce a connecter of member is moved along wall ill from left to right such construction that the part which performs in Fig. 3, the cylindrical surface it will move 25 the clamping action will be moved into positowards the center of the semi-cylindrical portion by the action of a screw and can thus be tion of the opening l3, with the result that if forced into operative position. the terminal 9 is in position, it will be subjected The above and other objects that will become to pressure due to the wedging action of the apparent as the description proceeds, are attained clamping member 8 as it is moved towards the 0 by means of a construction and an arrangement right (Fig. 3). The clamping member has a of parts that will now be described in detail and screw lil extending through an inclined threadrefe'ren'ce for this purpose will be had to the aced opening in the clamping member in such a companying drawing in which the invention has position that its end engages the inner surface of been illustrated in its preferred form and in wall H (see Figs. 1, 3, 5 and 6). When the screw 35 which is rotated so as to move it towards the left in Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the conthe opening in member 8, the latter. will move necter in place on a battery terminal; towards the right and slide along the concave Figure 2 is a side elevation, looking in the diwall l5, thereby forcing the concave surface I6 40 motion of arrow 2 in Fig 1; against the battery terminal. The slight rotary 40 Figure 3 is a section taken on line 3 Fig 2; movement of surface 56 relative to the terminal 9 Figure 4 is a section taken on line Fig serves to effect a good electrical contact. Figure 5 is a top plan View of the connecter The upper surface of the connecter has a flange showing the same detached from the battery ter- Whose ends have been deslgnated numem.ls

Figure 6 is a section taken on line 6-45 Fig. 5. e In the drawing, reference numeral 1 designates g 21%} 35 fi igg i g gggggl fig ii f 2525; the main body of the connecter and numeral 8 falling out during shipment. It will be noted a movable clampmg f Whlle numeral 9 that the end 2! of flange 29 functions as a stop. 50

designates the battery terminal post and ID the Since the end of the screw abuts the wall I4, clamping screw. it will move the clamping member towards the The ody 1 0f the connecter has One end D right, but will itself remain transversely stavided with an opening II for effecting a contionary, nection with one end of a battery cable I2. Any In the patent above identified, there is a clamp- 55 ing member that corresponds to the clamping member 8 of the present invention, but it is intended to be turned by hand or by means of impacts from a hammer or in some such way. In the present device, the movement is forced by the action of the screw l0. Attention is also called to the construction that prevents the clamping member from falling out during shipment.

Let now assume that we have a connecter and desire to attach the same to a battery terminal 9. Screw I0 is turned so as to withdraw it from the opening in member 8 until its end is flush with the wall of the member and the latter is moved towards the left as far as it will go. Terminal 9 is now inserted in opening I3, after which the screw is turned so as to effect a movement of member 8 towards the right, thereby wedging the terminal between the surface 26 and the end of opening l3. When the connecter is to be removed, the screw is turned so as to withdraw its end from Wall it, after which the clamping member can be tapped with a hammer and moved towards wall I4, thereby releasing the pressure on the terminal.

The parts may, of course, be covered with lead in the usual manner.

The invention, although it has been described as a battery terminal connecter, is also suitable for other uses, as for example, telephone and radio ground connecters and electrical connecters generally, and the uses pointed out are for the purpose of illustration only.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A battery terminal connecter having one end provided with means for making connection with a cable and the other end provided with an opening for the reception of a battery terminal post, the opening having a portion of its Wall formed by a semi-cylindrical surface and another portion by a concave surface opposed tothe semicylindrical surface and eccentricwith relation to the latter, a clamping member positioned in the opening, provided with a concave surface facing'the semi-cylindrical surface and a convex surface for engaging the eccentric concave surface and for movement therealong, and means comprising a screw, threadedly associated with and extending through the clamping member for engaging the wall of the opening in the connecter, to push the clamping member along the concave eccentric surface in a direction to decrease the distance between the concave surfaces on the clamping member and the semi-cylindrical surface on the connecter.

2. A battery terminal connecter having one end provided with means for making connection with a cable and the otherend provided with an opening for the reception of a battery terminal post, the opening having a portion of its wall formed by a semi-cylindrical surface and another portion by a concave surface opposed tothe semi-cylindrical surface andeccentric with relation to the latter, a clamping member positioned in the opening, provided'with a concave surface facing the semi-cylindrical surface and a convex surface for engaging the eccentric concave surface and for movement thereaiong, means comprising a screw, threadedly associated with and extending through the clamping member for engaging the Wall of the opening in the connecter to push 'the clamping member along the concave eccentric surface in adirection to decrease the distance between the concave surfaces on the clamping member and the semi-cylindrical surface on the connecter, and means comprising the screw and a cooperating stop, on the connecter for holding the clamping member in the connecter.

3. A battery terminal connecter having one end provided with means for making connection with a cable and the other end provided with an opening for the reception of a battery terminal post, the opening having a portion of its wall formed by a semi-cylindrical surface and an other portion by a concave surface opposed to the semi-cylindrical surface and eccentric with reiation to the latter,- a clamping member positiened in the opening, provided witha concave surface facing the semi-cylindrical surface and a convex surface for engaging the'eccentric concave surface, and for movement therealong, means comprising a screw extending through and threadedly connected with the clamping member engaging the connecter and pushing the clamping member along the concave eccentric surface in a direction to approach the semicylindrical surface, and means comprising a flange on the clamping member, a stop on the connecter, and a screw carried by the clamping member in position to engage the stop, for limiting the movement of the clamping member in one direction and for holding the clamping member from removal.

HENRY A. RECEN. 

